Poppies and Sakura
by Loqui Mar
Summary: Sixteen years before Meteor was called, Wutai was engulfed by war. This records the struggles of a familiar man coming to terms with war's horror, and the deeper mystery of ShinRa's war across the world. ON INDEFINTE HOLD
1. Birds of Black

**Poppies and Sakura Chapter 1: Birds of Black**

**Disclaimer: All fictional organisations, nations, characters and their relatives are owned by Square(soft/Enix) except for the main cast, which are of my own creation.**

** Author's Note: For the perplexed, the POV is from Brenain Gainsborough mostly. I also suggest you play the GAME for the nostalgia to take full effect. I have tried my hardest to keep things in accordance with the canon, but age may have some inconsitencies. Anyway, enjoy **

These are Shin-Ra's records of the individual "Brenain Gainsborough", hence referred to as "the condemned", concerning the events of Shin-Ra's most righteous war with the nation of Wutai in service of the world's protection, year 34 of the Era of Progress. These files also contain the confiscated material produced by the condemned addressed to one "Elmyra Gainsborough".

These files also contain an account of the actions of the unit under the condemned's command, the Special Ops. platoon code-named the "Ravens", during the events of 34 E.P. and beyond Most of the "Ravens" have been accounted for, although some remain at large and are considered to be highly dangerous.

These files are classified and any unauthorised leakage of material will result in a subsequent court-martial and execution. Events of Project CLASSIFIED are also mentioned, and are TOP SECRET. Jeopardy of this information will be decided by head of the Project, Professor CLASSIFIED .

_My Dearest Elmyra_

_Our mission over these next few days will be a dangerous one, but don't worry my love. I have many trusting and loyal friends around me to make sure I'm safe._

_This is by far the most valuable commodity in this entire damned war. You can't get by without friends here. Without them, you'll probably do something stupid and get yourself shot. Friends here are the ultimate armour for me. I doubt I could command my unit without the advice of my corporals, or the loyalty of the privates._

_I must keep this letter to you brief, my dearest, as we are en route to CENSORED by helicopter and are about to drop into the dense jungles of Wutai's CENSORED area. It makes my handwriting a little shaky, but I'm sure you can still make it out. You always had a knack for understanding what people want to say, my love._

_We are about to touch down. I send you all my love, affection, and hope for the future with this letter._

_Your ever loving husband, Brenain Gainsborough_

"Sir, I've spotted the drop site. Ten seconds to deployment." The pilot's voice buzzed over my personal radio and woke me from my little trance. I put the paper and pen away in my buttoned top pocket. I opened the helicopter's side doors and looked out at my troops standing out on the attached platforms either side of the helicopter. It was time to move.

"Alright guys, it's time. Hitch up to the ropes. I want pairs touching the ground per drop and I want the area secured the moment I get down there. We've got thirty seconds to get everyone off and to have the entire area cleared. First pairs drop on my mark. MARK!"

I guided the first two privates over the edge of the attached platform of the neon-bright helicopter and they shimmied down the ropes with practiced precision. Within seconds another two moved to the edge of the open copter door ready to drop. The first pair hit the ground and I yelled for them to move. They moved like clockwork.

I cast a glance up at the other two helicopters hovering in the darkness of the forest's night, dropping the Ravens onto the site. They moved with total precision. If I had time for feelings, I would have been proud. The last pair moved up to the edge. Underneath his cowboy hat, Corporal Mariquez flashed his dazzling white teeth at me. I could never get used to the contrast between his eyes and teeth, and his tanned skin. He whisked his long trench-coat about him and began to slide down the rope. The yelp that inevitably followed seconds later signalled to me it was time to unhook his coat that had undoubtedly caught on the platform's pulley system. He smiled sheepishly and proceeded to slide down the rope. I followed hastily.

The forest was deadly still. The Ravens were lying prone on the ground, radiating from the drop point. I crouched behind a tree next to one of the privates and drew my pistol. The deafening buzz of the choppers lingered for a second and then began to fade into the distance of the forest's noises. We waited until the sound had died completely.

"Alright guys, we're moving out. Styles, Junko, you scout ahead for a suitable platoon harbour. Two minutes lag time, then the rest of us move north." The Ravens crouched and waited patiently.

The platoon harbour had been set up within a few hours of our arrival. Styles and Junko reported no sightings of enemy patrols, but to be safe, sentries were placed all around the camp area. I supervised the construction of the camouflaged tents and the other temporary facilities.

Some of the younger privates were having a bit of fun messing about. I'd always wondered how on earth they could have passed for eighteen. Our youngest was thirteen for heaven's sake! I had to admit though; his physique was impressive for a thirteen year old. No doubt the Turk recruiters overlooked his real age to get the high-energy youth into the army. The Shin-Ra would do anything for an advantage.

Three of these more troublesome youths had crouched around one of the tents. They were whispering secretively, but were so engrossed in their own conversation that they failed to notice me hovering over their shoulders until I spoke.

"And what would that be, privates?" The three leapt to attention and into a sloppy salute. My look no doubt was the cause of the hasty correction of saluting in the field.

The buff thirteen-year-old spoke first, slightly more relaxed then the other two.

"Aw, we're not doing anything, sir, honest." He slackened his posture and lent against the tree the tent was pitched against. I could see in his pocket a box-shaped bulge. The smell of cigarettes lingered about the trio.

"What about you two?" My gaze ground towards the other two. The taller of the two was rather skinny and the eldest of the three. I knew from his personality that he was too honest for his own good, but several sharp kicks from the buff one silenced him. Looking on the third one, I gained that distinct smell of cleanliness mixed with gunpowder about him. He was short, lithe, and wore a uniform a few sizes too large. His high voice, strained to be lower then was comfortable, answered with a very unbelievable "Nothing, sir."

I turned back to the buff one. "I have a deal for you then, private." He rolled his eyes.

"What could you possibly deal with, sir? We're not hiding anything." I pulled his sunglasses out of my pocket and dangled them in front of his face.

"Hey! What the hell? How did you get those?" He then quickly added "Err. Sir?"

"I have my ways, private. You know that I'm not allowing you kids smokes, let alone my own. I suggest you return them to me." The buff private reached into his pocket grudgingly and returned the packet of cigarettes to my waiting hand. I promptly returned his sunglasses. The trio began to retreat to the rest of the privates. I called out behind them.

"And Private Biggs, mind that you don't go stealing the older private's alcohol. You two, Wedge." The buff one and the tall one flinched.

"And could you two keep the gunpowder away from Jay please. I don't want anything blowing up unless I authorise it." The little one flinched too.

I smiled as I made my way to the command tent. Those kids were troublesome, of course, but their talents were exceedingly useful in battle, and they were more mature than most kids their age. The war was making us all get older a lot faster.

Walking into the hastily constructed tent, I was confronted by the usual scene. Corporal Kael Morrow stood immediately as I entered and saluted smartly. Other then the occasional glint from his glasses, he was stock still. I let him stand easy and he immediately sat, although he was still rigid as a board.

A few seconds after Kael, the new corporal, Mana Satao, had clicked his heels together in a sharp salute. This was Satao's blooding mission. I was unsure about how he would perform, but if it was anything like the report that I had been handed, he wouldn't be a bad addition to the Ravens. The look about him suggested he may have come from the upper-plate in Midgar. Trim beard, smooth hair, unblemished skin, and that sleek, stoic face I had seen in many of the upper-platers.

Corporal Whitewind was a little more casual about it the military etiquette. Corporal Dekal Whitewind was unique in the Ravens in that she was the only woman in the platoon. Admittedly when you first looked, you couldn't tell the difference between her and a young boy, and the baggy nature of the army uniform aided her blending in. The sight of her hair didn't help though, as giant leave of it made her lith figure resemble a palm tree more then anything. However, her skill with weapons allowed her past the recruiters, and she had proved her capabilities more then enough.

The only one that did not come to attention, or even rise from his seat, was Corporal Dario Mariquez. Legs propped up on the table, leaning back on his chair, his cowboy hat covering his eyes completely; he failed to notice I had even entered.

"Ahem! Dario, do you mind?" The corporal moved his hand in a mocking salute, but otherwise remained still. I gave up.

"At ease guys, we've got some things to discuss." I moved to the table in the middle of the officers' tent, and the other followed me. There, the sole gas lamp lit the tent, aiding the rising morning light to illuminate the map spread out on the table.

"As you know from the brief prior to taking off from Uzuka beach, our target is a POW camp inside the Hatana Valley, north-west of our current location. It has come to HQ's attention that this POW camp holds a captive member of SOLDIER, along with numerous other Shin-Ra military personnel. Our orders are to liberate the captives. However, our priority is to safely rescue the SOLDIER member and have him transported directly back to Uzuka head-quarters. As per usual, we may use whatever means necessary to achieve our objectives. Questions?" Kael, logical as always, was the first to raise his hand. I let him ask it, despite the moans from Dario.

"What are the camp's defences, sir?"

"We shall have to scout the area first, as we have no intelligence on the actual defences, personnel numbers, or exact building layout of the facility. We'll have to wing this one, guys." Dekal put her hand up after that.

"So what's the current battle-plan then, chief?"

"We're gonna set up camp here until eighteen-hundred, then we'll move out and ready for the raid at nightfall. I've already arranged the advance parties. It will comprise of…" Before I could finish my sentence however, one of the privates bowled into the tent. Dario grabbed his arm before he could get any further.

"Hey mun, why choo gone be rushin 'bout like dat, eh? Chill mun, chill." The private began to gather his wits and shifted himself into a salute.

"Sir. I just found a Wutai scout in my patrol area. There's a group of them heading straight for us from the north-east."

I swore under my breath. "We gotta get outta here now guys. Kael, Satao, get the troops to pack up now! And make sure its done quietly. Both saluted smartly and rushed to their duties. I dismissed the private and sat down.

"Crap! We had to park ourselves right on a patrol ring, didn't we? Crap" Dekal came up behind me and bent down, putting a hand on my shoulder for assurance.

"Don't worry Sarge, it'll be alright." Then Dario chimed in from the back.

"I'll tell ya sumtin' dat be alright mun." Both Dekal and I turned around, seeing Dario's dark eyes from under his hat fixated on Dekal's rear. Three seconds later he was on the floor swearing, with Dekal's boot planted firmly on his cheek.

"You'd better learn some manners, ya bum! Jus' remember that yer only here 'cause you can shoot. If ya weren't our sniper, I'd bloody break yer spine! Bloody Costalian. What the hell has Costa Del Sol ever contributed to the world other than bum's like you? Pah!" A few more insults later she calmed herself and let Dario crawl back to his chair in silence.

"Like I was sayin', it'll all be fine, Sarge. We've done this hundreds of times before. What's got ya so bad about this one?"

"I just got a feeling, you know, Dekal? There's something about this mission. I've felt it since we took off. I just hope that by the end of this, I'll be able to get the letter off to Elmyra…Nah It wont come to that. C'mon, lets pack up the tent and get the hell outta here."

We packed up in record time. I left two privates and Dekal behind to make sure we weren't followed. We hiked a few more kilometres north-west and struck camp again under daylight. I doubled the sentries. Despite handling the escape flawlessly, that foreboding feeling still stuck in my gut. I showed my stern face to the troops in commanding them, all the while clutching the letter to my dearest and sweetest Elmyra.


	2. The Paths of Warriors

**Poppies and Sakura Chapter 2: The Paths of Warriors**

_  
My Elmyra_

_I can't possibly forget the day I met you. Amongst all the ugliness and suffering of the slums, your strength and radiance made me question whether meeting like that was a chance encounter. Do you believe in fate, my dearest?_

_Do the old gods govern our lives from their lofty peaks? Are we really in control? The last question I am sure is false. None of us in the depths of the war are really in control. The privates could look up to me for control, and I can look to the captains and colonels, and they can look to their generals, but in the end, fate isn't controlled by the old woman with her spinning wheel, but the other lofty lords that sit in their swanky palaces of steel, controlling the world, but letting the poor people believe they have some say._

_Yet there's still something beyond that. Something that I can feel in my gut. Tonight is the night of the big mission into CENSORED , and I can feel it in the air, in the earth, in the nerves of the Ravens. I give you all my love with this letter, and hope to whatever old gods that have not abandoned us, that all goes well._

_Yours fatefully, Brenain_

It looked as though the scouts were returning from their sweep of the POW camp. The other Ravens were hidden in the scrubland overlooking the camp below. Things had risen to the usual tension that came before an assault mission. I had decided with the other officers that the best course of action was a direct assault. Their defences were too tight to allow even Satao, the specialist in stealth, into the compound, without a fight on the way out. We were going to have to get through the fencing quickly, and hopefully without detection, and then start a ruckus. Hopefully it would all go well.

"We all good to go, guys?" A plethora of thumbs rose from the bushland comically. I had to hold back a snicker. My nerves settled a little. They all knew what they were doing. The comical display of camouflage ability doubled my confidence in the boys.

Kael scuttled quickly to my side after receiving word from the scout party.

"Sir, the enemy patrols come around here in approximately fifteen minutes. Corporal Mariquez and the two private ranked snipers are also in place for covering fire." He rounded it off with a quick salute.

"Alright Kael. Knowing the Wutai, they're not gonna deviate from their routine. We got plenty of time. Check radio contact with Dario covertly, I want cover fire on command if I need it."

He saluted again and rushed into the bush to get to the radio man. I hoped that Dario wasn't going to go livewire on me and start picking soldiers off before command. His skill with a rifle was top notch, but the people from Costalia weren't famed for their discipline, even if he came from a family that complied totally with the Shin-Ra.

Everything was prepared. I gave the order and we moved like night down the valley to the waiting prey.

We cut the fence wires with ease. Not a single Raven was spotted as we made our way into the compound. Those sentries that patrolled past our entry point were eliminated quietly. I left a small group of three guarding our exit point. I split the group again to get the most advantageous positions for the assault. Dekal and Kael led a group of four northward behind some buildings as a distraction, and I, with Satao, led the main liberation team of four other privates, including the three troublemakers, Biggs, Wedge and Jay. Time would tell if the kids could keep their personal rebellions down and show their full potential.

With two clicks on the radio signalling that Kael and Dekal were in position, I gave the order with three clicks. A sound like the whips of hell cracked through the valley. In the guard towers nearest my group, three soldiers fell to invisible attackers, each with their heads opened up, spilling the contents into the yard below. Two more clicks on the radio and I led my team into a firing position, covering the south of the compound. Most of the soldiers that hadn't hit the ground or reached cover after the initial volley were shredded by my group's guns. The sounds of panic further up told me the other team were also successful.

Some Wutai soldiers had reached firing positions by the time the centre of the compound was cleared of hostiles. Reinforcements were pouring into from the major buildings. I signalled to the snipers to discourage the enemy from coming into the southern area of the compound. A few more cracks and the entrenched enemy were downed, and many of the reinforcement had moved to the lesser of two dangerous places, the north end of the compound.

At this chance, my group rushed to what we assumed was the prison building. The rickety shack made from bamboo looked, nonetheless, sturdy enough to withstand even a strong battering from my team. We made it to the veranda and held our position there. It was time for the kids to show their stuff.

I gave them the order to cover Jay as he set the directional explosive for the door. Biggs, even with his sunglasses on at night, was a deadeye shot when hitting the enemey, knocking most down in a three round burst. Wedge was a little more conservative in his efforts, but was still doing well. In the middle of supervising Jay, who was locked in concentration planting the bomb, Satao tapped me on the shoulder.

"Sir! There's a report from Dekal and Kael. They say most of their team has been wounded and they're surrounded. They need support now!"

"SHIT! Alright. You make sure we get the target and anyone else outta here! When I give the order to retreat, you obey, right? There's bloody more of them then I thought!" I grabbed Wedge's arm after that.

"Private, I need you to cover me. I'm going to support the others." Wedge nodded and reached for the big gun at his back. For a young kid, his strength was impressive. He let loose with the gatling-gun. Sensibly, the Wutai soldiers ran for cover. Taking my chance, I ran across the compound.

I saw the group of Wutai gathered about the alley between two buildings. Two shots from my pistol thudded into the backs of two Wutai, causing them to slump into their comrades in front. Those Wutai immediately turned. I was running full speed, so they had no time to fire. I drew my sergeants sword and charged them. Two were cut down quickly when I contacted them. The rest closed in with bayonets and short, single-edged Wutai blades. Parrying with my blade, firing with my pistol, the combat was ended shortly. Several slugs hit a group of fresh, charging Wutai before they could reach me. Looking in the direction of the fire, Dekal gave me a little wave. Kael looked over, but turned back quickly to the business at hand.

Most of the Wutai soldiers were dispatched with ease, but then, from a crowd of them, a man I assumed to be their officer emerged. None of his subordinates engaged me as he approached, and they formed a ring about me. The officer, dressed in the light yellow Wutai uniform, cast aside his pistol to one of the foot soldiers. He drew from his side the long Wutai blade that their warriors had used before they had made contact with the other developed nations of the world. He squared off and I readied myself for a dual.

The explosion behind me knocked me down, and put my assailant off balance. I turned to find the source. The main prison building had erupted in flames. I could see my team, led by Satao, running for cover. I knew it wasn't Jay's bomb. I didn't give him enough explosives to do that much damage. Then I saw _him_.

From the flames leap a man dressed in blue. The garments were tattered, but I could make it out. It was the uniform of SOLDIER. In one hand he held a long, wide blade, curving forwards and back in on itself at the tip like a sickle. In the other hand he held a Wutai soldier covered in blood. Most of the Wutai around me were staring at him. Some had broken into a run at him, yelling in their own language. The SOLDIER looked up at his new adversaries and cast the body of the Wutai soldier aside. The moment the Wutai reached him they were dead. You couldn't even see the blade move. One moment he was in front of them I the ready position, the next, behind them recovering from a sweep. The charging Wutai fell in their separate halves to the now bloody earth.

The SOLDIER raised his blade at the group that surrounded me. He touched his hand to his blade and his eyes were suddenly engulfed in a green light. A pulsing phantom wind emanated from his body and his tattered uniform fluttered. His mouth moved instinctively as the incantations of the Ancients filled his mind. Without warning, the pulsing stopped, and all around me the air began to heat. I knew I only had seconds left. I dived forward, out of the circle of Wutai. Seconds later, the entire group had been engulfed in magical fire. The fireball rose and the stench of burning flesh reached me. I retched and crawled for cover. The fire burnt longer then anything natural. Over it, I could here the man's laugh, high, peaked with bloodlust.

I got up and ran past the scorched earth, which held only the ashes of my adversaries, and the glint of the long blade. I reached Dekal and Kael. They were both crouched in the space between two buildings. The main yard exploded again and we all took cover. Kael nodded again to me.

"Our team is wounded, but none are critical, sir. Some will not be able to move without immediate aid however, sir. We could use your materia here, sir." I nodded and let him lead me to the wounded, as the yard was covered in flames again, and a terrible crash signalled the collapse of a nearby building. Screams from the yard brought back terrible visions of a time gone by, but I blocked it out as I concentrated.

Putting my hand on top of the slot on the side of my blade, I felt the knowledge of the Ancients flow too though my mind. It overrode my senses and I was immersed in the flowing scripts and words. The words came from my mouth intuitively. I had to concentrate to keep the spell going. When I had finally been released from the influx of information, I could see the sparkling residue of magic, as the healing mechanisms of the body on my patient accelerated, slowly pushing the heavy bullet from his leg and sealing the gap behind it.

Before I could use the magic again, Dekal caught my attention. Her eyes were cast in horror at the scene in the yard.

"Wh-wh-who tha hell is that?" I stood and came by her side.

"That, Corporal Dekal, is our target. SOLDIER first class, Hade Ida." Bodies littered the yard. I saw another fleeing Wutai trooper, screaming at the top of his lungs, running from the wake of the SOLDIER. In seconds his head was severed from his body by the detachable sickle that topped the SOLDIER's blade. The sickle flew back in an arc, cutting down another Wutai, before the SOLDIER skilfully caught it in the recess of his blade.

I turned back and reached for my radio.

"All teams, retreat to the outer perimeter of the compound. Do not engage any enemy targets. Remain on stand by until…" I looked at Kael, who was shifting one of the wounded Ravens from the bodies of freshly cut down Wutai. "…until the slaughter ends."

Afterwards, the compound was nothing more then ash. The bodies were burnt, the buildings collapsed. Only the metallic parts of their rifles and blades remained. We had been informed that the other military personnel had been incinerated along with them. The SOLDIER emerged from the carnage looking as he did at the beginning of the onslaught, not a scratch more. He walked right up to me and shook my hand with his own blood-saturated hand. The Ravens merely stared at him as he casually talked about the deaths of all those Wutai.

"So, when's my chopper going get here?" I told him that we hadn't called the chopper yet.

"Bah! You lazy conscripts! You don't even help with the battle, and now you can't even be bother to complete your mission. You!" He pointed at the radio man. The shocked private approached with a blank face. "Get me some transport, Move it!" The force of the SOLDIER's voice physically moved the private, and he rushed off to send the transmission. We set up camp outside the base, although the SOLDIER strolled around the burnt out grounds, whistling happily to himself.

When the choppers got to the site, we readied to board, with the SOLDIER coming on my own helicopter. However, when my group's helicopter touched down, he get on himself and shut the doors. I could see through the windows that he had ordered the pilot to lift off. The pilot hesitated. The SOLDIER snatched a radio from the pilot's control board.

"Maybe next time you would be competent enough to order enough helicopters for all of you." The voice over my radio rung in my ear of over an hour. I remained with several of the Ravens while we ordered another chopper to evacuate us. The events of that day merely served to reinforce my burning, seething hatred that I harboured to all the Shin-Ra, and that face, the face of Hade Ida summoned all the memories of the past that I hated most about Shin-Ra. His face was the one I had seen at that place, not three months before.


	3. A Conflict Destined

**Poppies and Sakura Chapter 3: A Conflict Destined**

_  
To Elmyra, my love._

_The horrors of this war never cease. My naivety that I held at the beginning of this is utterly astounding to me. Blinded by the propaganda of Shin-Ra, I never resited the conscript program. I was too eager to make you proud of me my dear. That is my greatest sin of all in this entire war._

_Memory is a funny thing. At the time, we _know _that we're doing the right thing, but in retrospect, we know that we were young, foolish and pigheaded. The words always reverberate in our minds. "I wish I could go back and change it all." But this is impossible. We can't live with regrets. You can't ignore the past. No, it achieves nothing to run. You have to face the past and learn from what has gone by to make a brighter future for all those around us. I must remember the way things were._

_It was only a few months ago, but the month's weight pushes on me like the years. _

_The world back then was so much simpler…_

**Eight months earlier…**

It was nearly nightfall by the time the convoys reached Svartal Port, some 300 kilometres north of the main city of Kalm. The place had been utterly taken over by the military. Helicopters whirred overhead, heavy machinery lurched huge crates of supplies, ammunition, guns. The roar of vehicles, trucks, tanks, cranes, filled the air with exhaust and fumes. I sat in a convoy van in my green standard uniform with a bunch of other conscripts. The atmosphere was oppressive, yet my fists were clenched and I couldn't keep still in my seat. The voices of barked orders, the sound of a hundred feet striking the ground at the same time, the music that just made its way over the din in blaring trumpets and rattling drums through the P.A. system. It was all so inspiring.

We were ushered from the truck into a mustering area. I tried to swim through the sea of green to find a comfort spot. I spotted a head bobbing above all the rest. The owner was a giant, with even their shoulders above the other men about them. I was immediately attracted by curiosity to this huge man. I walked up behind him. His greens were baggy, and, to my disbelief, probably a size too large. He wore a large, bulging cap that covered most of their head. He was facing away from me. Nervously, I tapped his shoulder.

The man turned and looked at me. He bent down to inspect me. Then I saw his face.

"Hiya! My names Freya. Freya Jotunheim. Very nice to meet you mister!" The sound of the voice, the look of the eyes, the smile of the face. It all fell together.

He was a she!

"I-I-I…You're a-a-a…you're a girl!" I could only stutter my response. She straightened up and giggled. The sound was strangely comforting.

"Well of course I'm a girl silly." She then lent down again and whispered close to my ear. "But don't tell my friend that I told you. She said that they won't like me much if they found out."

All I could do was blink. It was about then that her "friend" turned up.

"Oh no! Frey! Ya haven't gone and told somebody already, have ya? Honestly! I gotta teach ya how to lie properly." I distinctly remembered that Freya said her friend was a 'she', but this person certainly could pass for a guy. They only thing that made her stand out were the huge fronds of hair that stuck out of her head like a palm tree. Without warning, she grabbed the collar of my greens.

"Alright man, you so much as make a peep about the fact that we're girls and I'll kick you so hard they won't be able to tell if_ you're_ one or not!" Even the thought of that had me doubled over, holding on to myself.

"Hey! I was never planning on it. You don't have to go and get all aggressive on me! I was just shocked that you could get past the recruiters." All I got as a reply was Freya tapping her nose, smiling and saying.

"It a little secret, so there's no telling."

I stayed with Freya and her friend. The hot-tempered one simmered down a little and introduced herself as Dekal Whitewind. We talked a little, but it looked as though she was just as exited as I was. We piled into a large amphitheatre where the briefing would be held.

We sat at the back. Getting a seat was hard. The place was full to the brim with eager men ready for war. Eventually we got seats by a stroke of kindness. We found a place where there were two spare seats. Dekal and I had already sat and, in out state of excitement, failed to notice that Freya had no place to go. A tall young man with glasses man sitting next to us noticed we were a party of three and stood up.

"Here, you can take my seat." He gestured for Freya to sit where he had been. A dishevelled looking man sitting next to him looked at him.

"Aww c'mon, you're not gonna leave me hanging are you?" He rolled his eyes but avoided contact with us. The bespectacled man spoke up.

"I'm sure you can manage, Elmeth. Besides, we should let this young lady take a seat." Freya was halfway sitting down when he said this. Her jump made her hit her head on the low ceiling. Dekal and I too jumped when we heard this. His partner looked surprised too.

"W-what? Oi, mate, what do you mean 'young lady'!?" The tall man merely gestured to Freya. She whispered hoarsely to the tall man.

"How did you know? It was supposed to be a secret. Do you have some sort of special powers, mister?" The tall man merely smiled and scratched his head, moving off to the aisle to stand.

Freya sat down next to the other man. He just gawked at her. She noticed this, turned to him and waved. He managed to waved back timidly. She greeted him.

"My name's Frey Jotunheim, what's your's?" He stuttered a little.

"I-it's Elmeth. Elmeth Reik. I-I…I didn't know that girls were allowed into the army." Frey just smiled along. I looked at Dekal.

"Does she always take things like that?" Dekal shrugged. We both turned to the podium, where a man in a blue uniform was beginning to address the audience.

"Men, soldiers, my countrymen, my name is General Julian Sezar, and you are here, because we are in a time of great crisis. You have all know that for a year, Shin-Ra, the glorious company of men and women that have helped unify so many nations, has been facing some problems abroad. They have used all forms of peacekeeping to still the raging ambitions of those nations that are too bloodthirsty and proud to see the world as a brotherhood of men. The forces of SOLDIER, of which I am proud to be a part of, have been the ultimate shield of the civilized world for over two decades, but now, the Shin-Ra peacekeepers must call upon the nations of the world to unite against a common enemy. Wutai."

We all found the speech rousing and inspiring. After that, they rushed us to our barracks. I was separated in the confusion from Freya and Dekal, but I remained with Reik and his friend, who introduced himself as Kael Morrow. We slept in the same quarters. The next morning they woke us for an early drill session.

First they decided to give a demonstration, immediately followed by our first use of the new Shin-Ra standard rifle. The demo was impressive. SOLDIER operatives fired weapons we had never seen before. The guns fired automatically, three shot bursts. This was all new technology and most were simply stunned by the innovation. We were shown the tanks, the power of the shells. We even saw a sparring match between two members of SOLDIER with swords. Then the General got us into the real training.

We lay on a firing range for most of the day, picking off targets as they came. Reik was damn good, lying next to me. I asked how he could shoot so well.

"I might well ask you the same question, man."

"No…really, how did you learn to do that? You told me you lived in the slums. There's no way you could have got enough money for a gun."

"It just comes naturally to me I guess."

"That sorta stuff does not come naturally. C'mon. How?"

"Look, it's just a plot device, man! The story can't progress if I don't have skills."

"What!? That sucks! How come I have to try so hard, and you just have the bloody 'gift'?"

"Well, maybe I killed some creatures in the slums and used the money I got from them to buy a gun. Happy now?"

"What? Why the hell would monsters in the slums be carrying money!? Am I the only one that thinks this world doesn't make any sense whatsoever?"

"Look, just go with it man."

About an hour after we managed to re-erect the shattered remains of the fourth wall, I saw someone new on the field. Standing behind most of us, I could see a fat man in a dark blue suit with a huge cigar, pointing at troops, talking to General Sezar. He walked past us lying prone on the ground. I noticed that he lingered with my group. I felt suspicion rise. At the end of the day, we retired to our barracks.

In the middle of the night I was woken by a man in a dark suit. He was large, muscular, with hair slicked back and a pair of round, shiny glasses. He told me go get dressed. Another huge man, bald and pig-eyed, had woken Reik and Kael and ordered we come to the main amphitheatre in five minutes. We were to sleepy to complain.

In the amphitheatre we were found some two hundred other people, sleepy eyed and deary, but ready for anything. Below stood the fat man in the suit next to General Julian. The two huge men that had woken us and a bunch of others wearing similar dark blue suits also lined the stage. My senses had begun to come around and I began to recognise them. They were members of the Turks.

The General called for quiet and then addressed the crowd.

"You may all wonder why you're here." From the mummer there was a general consensus in the audience.

"You are here because these men here have selected you. They saw you in the trail training, and have picked you for your natural talents of marksmanship and discipline." Reik then whispered in my ear.

"They could tell all that from one training exercise?" Kael simply leaned forward a little more. The General continued.

"For those that have not already identified these men, they are from the branch of Shin-Ra known as the Turks. While we know that Shin-Ra does not officially recognise the Turks, they are, operationally, part of the corporation. You have been selected for a specific task. I shall let the representative of the Turks tell you about that. Mr Janus Palmer."

The fat man waddled up to the podium. When he spoke, a harsh, rasping, nasal quality crept into his voice. All the while he puffed on his cigar.

"This war needs more then the average soldier. Originally, SOLDIER itself could handle this, but these Wutai are a cunning foe. The resources of Shin-Ra are limited, so we cannot afford to train the average man as much as we would like. That's where we come in, my fellows." He peered around the room with his little eyes, shifting his weight from one stumpy leg to the other.

"We are the recruiters. We scout the masses for the elite. The cream of the crop. The best, and only the best. Shin-Ra has benevolently granted us funding to train you extra-special people to become the best conscript fighters in the army. You will be the special Ops. section of the army. If all goes well…" he paused for a while and shifted back with a smile on his face. "you will all be eligible for entry into SOLDIER itself."

That roused another murmur amongst the crowd. SOLDIER was exclusive. Only the best fighters in the world made it into SOLDIER, and for any of, mostly men from the slums, it would be an extreme honour to even be considered potential SOLDIER material. Mr. Palmer began to speak again, hushing the crowd as if they were children.

"Now quiet, hush now. I said 'if all goes well'. You must first complete your training to the Turk's satisfaction. Those that perform adequately will be inducted into the special ops. units. Those that perform extra-well will be given leading positions in those units." He paused again and let a murmur rise. Kael lent over and whispered to both of us.

"And the fate of those that fail?" Reik shrugged.

"I guess we just go back into the normal army." Kael face forward again.

"They wouldn't let someone who will be trained by the Turks and SOLDIER just go free. Knowing the Shin-Ra, they won't waste an investment like that." Reik and I looked at each other. This could turn out dangerous. I just hoped that I could pass the training. We were dismissed and told that we would be collected the next day. IN the crowd, I spied the shapes of Frey and Dekal. I felt somewhat assured that I was at least with familiar faces.

The training for the next few days was intense. I was called out of the normal troopers and driven out of town to a special range the Turks had set up. We trained there under SOLDIER taskmasters. We were pushed to our limits. We were told to pointless tasks, which Reik never failed to comment on, but Kael always chimed in about the possible merits it induced, like teamwork, discipline, and the ability to obey orders instinctively. This mostly ended with Reik shouting at Kael, although it was usually directly in my ear.

I caught up with Freya and Dekal. They told me they weren't having any troubles with the training. Apparently they were both quite capable of it. There had been some trouble with their roommate discovering their gender, although the sheer intimidating power of Frey's size coupled with Dekal's wildcat threats and fists apparently settled any danger. We were all on edge about the outcome of all our training.

A month passed. We had assembled in the amphitheatre. Reik had been muttering something about 'vaporisation' and 'erasing', but Kael and I managed to ignore him.

Finally, we saw the General and the Turks parade out on the stage at the base of the amphitheatre. Palmer spoke up.

"We have finished our evaluation of your training, and have divided you into ten units of eighteen men each. This project is shared by both SOLDIER and the Turks, so you will be reporting to both SOLDIER members and Turks. Keep that in mind. We outrank you although we are not military. What I say, goes, is that clear?" The chant 'crystal, sir!' echoed through the auditorium. I could feel how much everyone had changed since our training. It was almost a miracle. We immediately fell quiet for him.

"Right. In that case, I'll read off the names of those assigned to the units." We were all relieved to hear our names called out for one of the units. The Turks had dubbed my own unit the 'Ravens'. All the other units were also after portentous animals. I couldn't help but notice that some of the Turks had led some people from the crowd and out the doors. I never found out what happened to them.

Palmer finished reading the role, and began to speak again to the crowd.

"Now, some of your have done very well in your training. It has been decided that each unit will have a command group of five. Four corporals and one sergeant. I shall read the names of those in command of each unit." I was in suspense when he came around to the Ravens.

"Raven's unit command. Corporals. Morrow, Kael." Kael straightened in his chair. A small flush had crossed his face. Reik gave him a little punch in the shoulder.

"Whitewind, Dekal. Jotunheim, Freya." In the silence I heard a little cheep of excitement. Freya was easily noticeable in the crowd, and I could see her bouncing in her seat. The hurried hush and flurry of frond-like hair told me Dekal was silencing her before she embarrassed herself.

"Reik, Elmeth." Reik jumped in his seat.

"What the hell? Wow, was I _that_ good? Hell, the rest of the platoon must be terrible. Pah, I get to command a group of novices, that's just peachy."

I rolled my eyes and listened for the name of our sergeant.

"And the sergeant of the Ravens unit…Gainsborough, Brenain."

All Reik's jaw dropped. I knew I most likely looked just like him. I saw Kael lean over a little and smile.

"It'll be an honour to serve under you, sir."


	4. Trial by Fire

**Poppies and Sakura Chapter 4: Trial by Fire**

**One month after training…**

The inside of the ship was daunted me. Water drops echoed all through the hull and the groaning of the metal kept me up at night. Sometimes, I could hear voices that weren't…human.

All the Spec.Op. units were being transported on huge amphibious craft. A small fleet trailed with our own ship ready for an attack directly onto land. I was just settling into my job as commander of the unit. I had been given a long lecture about leadership and the use of materia. I was practicing on the ship's deck with the materia and my new sword when Kael approached me.

"Sir, the bridge tells me that we'll be arriving at Wutai shores within the hour. We best ready ourselves for battle, sir." I nodded to him and told him I would be down when I had finished training. Kael had become by default my second in command. He already possessed great powers of leadership, but his loyalty seemed batter placed to the Turks as obedient to a Sargent, not directly to SOLDIER superiors. It seemed intelligent enough.

I stopped practicing and took a deep breath of air and looked at myself. I was dressed in proper Shin-Ra military uniform. Green jacket, bloused pants and shin-high, sturdy boots. As commander, I was also allowed a cap as an easy sign of rank, although I was encouraged to remove it in the field to stop easy sniper shots. I was nervous about it, oh hell I was nervous, but I knew that I now had lives that were my responsibility. Looking to the ever-growing land of green that lay ahead, vowed I would protect them all.

Below deck, the P.A. announced we had ten minutes until beaching and assault. The engines were revving high and both units on board our ship were anxious for battle. Kael was just in front of me at the head of the unit, face blank and staring at the solid wall of metal that in ten minutes would expose us to battle and our first blood. Reik stood just to my left. He yelled to me above the engines.

"Hey, sarge, you reckon this is gonna be easy?"

"I'm not sure Reik, best keep your wits about you. Make sure the privates are all ready for this. I don't want anyone hesitating during the battle, okay?" He nodded and moved off to keep the morale up.

I looked around to try and find Freya. She was at the back of the unit facing the rear of the hold dressed in her specially made overcoat, which would normally have reached my own feet, but on her only reached the knees. I walked up to her and put and arm on her back.

"Freya? You okay?" From under her huddled form, Dekal emerged.

"Don't ya worry sarge, she'll be right. It's jus' the noise, ya know? She'll be ready." Then to Freya, she said. "Don't ya worry girl. C'mon, buck up! You gotta be medic. It's an important job. And if they get too close to us, we gotta rely on you to keep 'em back eh? Here." She handed her Freya's large stun mace. "Don't ya worry. It'll just knock 'em out. It' won't hurt 'em. Good girl. I'll be back in a bit. I jus' gotta talk to sarge, kay?" Freya's hand reached out and took the mace. A brief "Mmhmm" squeaked it's way out of the huge coat.

Dekal and I moved away from Freya. "She'll be ready for this, sarge. Just needs a little more time. She refuses to kill anyone, so I got 'er that mace from the Turks. She'll handle things if they get messy." I gave Dekal an encouraging smile. She returned it with thumbs up and a winning grin.

The siren blared. It was time. The engines revved to maximum, and in seconds the doors were opening.

The shells rained down like the end of the world. Left and right the Spec. Ops. units poured from the hulls of the ships. We ran as one. The beach was muddy, but we ploughed through anyway. Up ahead we could see the beginnings of the trench system and bunkers. The beach ascended steeply. Above us, moving over no mans land towards the tree line, I could see hundreds of men dressed in blue uniforms, SOLDIER, clutching only swords, charging forward towards the Wutai battleline. Their unified voice inspired me to keep running.

We belted into the trenches at top speed. I ran at the front of the unit. We could hear the machine guns of the Wutai starting up. We ran faster. Running through the maze of twisting trenches, we quickly came to a dead end. The trenches ceased from there on. Over the din of battle I called the unit to a halt and began issuing orders.

"Alright guys, its time. This is our first blood. Are you ready!?" I began hyping the unit up like I had been taught. Soon they were all geared, shouting and adding to the maelstrom of sound that blasted over out heads. I finally gave the order to move.

We sprinted over no mans lad like the wind. It was both liberating and confining at the same time. In one way, I felt as though the law was nothing in this chaotic world. I felt like I was my own master. The feeling was unparalleled by anything I had experienced before. Yet, I also felt contained by my own actions. Fear touched me the moment I got out and looked death in the face. Machine guns still rattled away at us, although they were mostly occupied in fighting the men in blue. The fight SOLIDER fought there, by far, was the most inspiring thing, and was what kept me running when we went over the top.

The power of those soldiers was awesome. They needed no guns. Their blades flashed with diabolic speed and lacerated their victims with such agility that I felt as though I was in the presence of the angels of death themselves. A unit of ten of them flashed across the earth like a fatal plague, and they struck a unit that outnumbered them three to one. Thirty seconds, an eternity in my own eyes, and all the Wutai men were dead. The ground was red and so were the faces of SOLDIER. They used magic, the phantom winds, and the lightning, the fire, the freezing powers of the elements struck the enemy soldiers down. This display of arcane pyrotechnics skittered up and down the battleline. Some spells were devastating, annihilating entire units by themselves while others were for one on one combat, extinguishing a single life with its impossible inferno.

This scene would have shocked most, but in my mind bloodlust rose. I was unquenchable. I never fired my pistol running across the ground, even when I had a Wutai man in my sights. I drew my blade. I wanted blood. I wanted to feel the steel to cut flesh with the impossible ease that I imagined. I wanted to feel the twinkling feeling up my spine as the blade struck bone and scraped against it. I wanted to end a life up close. I wanted the smell, the tastes, the sight, the sound. I got it.

We clashed with an enemy unit in their own trenches. I leapt down from the ground. The Wutai had slow firing rifles, and many had fixed blades to them. The Ravens swooped in and we began to cut them down. I landed on top of one man. In surprise I fired. The shot missed my own toe my just centimetres. Fortunately it thudded into the back of the man I had jumped on. I found it hard to step down. Two men had already moved in on me. Their faces were alien in the blood-haze I suffered. They were monsters, ugly animals that were trying to take me down. I had to…I had to kill them. While neither had landed a blow on me, I sliced my blade across the gut of one man. His face contorted into one of pain. He clutched the billowing grey and dull green masses that pushed eagerly from the wound. Little blood came out to my surprise. Other contents spilt onto the muddy earth. Before I could land a blow on my second opponent I saw him ready the wicked blade on his gun to impale me. I moved to one side. The beast had slid past me with all his might. I caught him in the crook of my right arm. With my sword arm I raised my blade and plunged it into his spine. The beast gasped and fell cleanly from the blade as I let it fall. Five more men I felled like this. I was grazed by a bullet and a blade had stabbed into my sword arm. I was fine in the adrenaline-pumped state I was in. Then the fight there was over. I could hear the sounds of trumpets and horns. The enemy was in retreat. Lightning and fire clattered in the distance. Shells thundered into the ground with the fury of the heavens. I stopped momentarily and looked at my unit. They too were coming round.

Kael approached me at the exit to the enemy trenches. Ahead of us were the jungles. The SOLDIER members were in pursuit into the tree line. Kael looked as though he was about to say something, then a cry, high and frenzied came from a neighbouring trench. A Wutai soldier, stained with blood, charged me and Kael. Before I had even got a hand on my gun the Wutai soldier lay dead. I looked to Kael. Two handguns were smoking in his hand. Without looking back at me he spoke.

"Sir, what shall we do now? The enemy are routing. Most of the other specialist units are still clearing the trenches, but ours is clean. Your orders, sir?" His face was without emotion, as always. Dekal approached from behind, her face was etched with a crazed smile. Only then did I notice that I too was smiling like that.

"C'mon, sarge, lets show them others that we're the best bloody unit 'ere. Lets stick a couple more notches in out belts before the day is out. Waddaya say?" I couldn't help but feel the smile spread again across my face. I turned to the unit, rallying just behind us. Their faces were blurred for me. All I saw was that they were all still standing. I gave the order for pursuit.

We crashed into the trees. It was a stupid move. We were hopelessly out of cohesion within seconds. Separated, we were lucky that none of us were killed. Some were wounded I could tell. I was lost. The flood of green ahead, green behind, and green above. The entire place was damp, and I was utterly lost in the trees. I yelled the order to regroup, but there was no answer. I made my way to the nearest place I could, a place where I could hear fires crackling.

"Help…please…err…someone? Sarge? Dekal? Kael, mate? Someone?" It was Reik's voice. As I emerged from the trees I saw him. He noticed me immediately. His hair was even more ruffled then usual, but his face was on the edge of panic. He stood near a large straw hut, which sheltered beyond which smoke emanated. His hand was on the shoulder of the huge form of Freya, who was huddled up, hugging her knees close to her.

"Sarge, help! I dunno what to do!" I began to approach and comforted him before getting to Freya.

"Don't worry. She'll be alright." Then Freya's high, bright voice, shattered and broken by her sobbing, called back to be. She turned her face t me. Her eyes were quivering pools, filled with tears, but the look was not fear as I could tell. The look was of a deeper emotion. Sorrow and loss.

"N-no I won't b-be alright! War i-is a terrible thing, b-b-but…but those innocents…t-they…" she sunk her head and sobbed. I approached again cautiously. The sting of smoke was irritating my nostrils.

"War is a terrible thing, yes Freya, but they all were fighting for their country, they knew they were going to die and-" She cut me off and shot her head back up to look me straight in the eye. Those tears I remember for the rest of my life.

"They didn't know! They never fought! These people are dying needlessly. They're GONE!" I caught sight then of the source of the smoke just beyond the straw hut. I froze.

A little girl's body was strewn on the steps of the hut, she wore a raggedy garb in the Wutai style. It was blotched with crusted red. The smooth, pure black hair of the Wutai people was frizzed and strew around her head, face down. Beyond, the entire village burned. Bodies of women and children scattered across the landscape as the village burned. It burned. A civilian station. Burnt. The hideous of deaths. Amongst all of this, men in blue walked, piercing their blades into the corpses to make sure they were dead.

A solitary scream came from one of the houses. A woman ran from the wreck. He hair was burning and she ran naked, the tanned skin bloody and raw. She collapsed at the foot of a man standing in the middle of the village, clasping at his trousers.

The lone man, wreathed by fire and destruction behind him, looked down at the woman, her hair still alight and now rusty with her own life-giving fluid. He looked at her for what seemed an eternity. The he picker her up and carried her. He carried her forwards through smoke. With one fluid movement…

He threw her back into the flaming wreck of the house.

The renew cries of Freya mingled with the crackling and the woman's death cries.

We had all sent hat atrocity that day, and the blood-haze lifted from our eyes forever. The SOLDIER from the village had approached me and ordered me to not speak of the incident to any other soldier on pain of death. I never told. Kael, Dekal, all the privates, they never knew. We were ordered to return to the trenches to await the arriving troops and establish a base. Eight hours later, I was ordered back to that place, they had constructed the command tent there, right on top of the graves of the innocent. The lot that the village once occupied was completely devoid of life, but the air stank of smoke and ash. I held my breath as I marched to the tent. That was the day I began my hatred for SOLDIER, the Turks, and everything the Shin-Ra ever stood for.

_...but we were forced to grow up quickly._

_The war is a reality now. I have faced many atrocities, Elmyra, my love, but those that the Shin-Ra commit are heartless, inhuman, and without mercy. The present and the past are terrible times. We can only hope that the future offers hope to us._

_The shackles of the past I will discard, but the lessons I will never forget. Never will I forget the sight of that young girl on the straw hut's steps. Never will I forget the screams of the woman in the fire. Never will I forget the tears that shone in Freya's eyes. And never will I forget the laugh of that man. The SOLDIER that burnt that village. The man, no, demon called Hade Ida._


End file.
